About the Feministische Frühlingsuni and its focus 2016

5. Mai 2016

The Feministische FrühlingsUniversität (FFU, ‘Feminist Spring University’) is a four day long conference which aims to help connecting (queer_)feminist activists and to transfer knowledges within (queer_)feminist movements. Women*, Lesbian*, Inter* and Trans* genderqueer and nonbinary people are welcome to participate. There will be a critical, academic, adventurous, artistic and creative programme full of workshops or other contributions, possibilities to meet new people, good food, parties and you can sleep there – see registration file.

The FFU sees its beginning in the FrauenSommerUniversität (FSU, ‘Women’s Sum- mer University’), which was created in the 1980ies by austrian autonomous womens movement with transnational influences. Since then, the FFU has experienced and produced a lot of [:Movement*s:] and dedicates itself to challenge power relations within societies in support of anti-racist and (queer_)feminist activism as well as creating space for (queer_)feminist theory and much more. Thirty years have passed since the third FrauenSommerUniversität took place in Innsbruck for the first time and immediately caused a stir. The theme focusses on three different kinds of [: Movement*s:]:

[:Movement*s:] of body|norms

[:Movement*s:] within labour

[:Movement*s:] in their*her*history

[:Movement*s:] of body|norms
Ableist body images and body norms that are transmitted on a daily basis have disabling impact, that leave little leeway. Challenging these norms could be part of your contribution. Moreover, [:moving:] bodies are worth to be considered here, since especially in sports norms of binary gendered bodies and their performances are actively reinforced.

[:Movement*s:] within labour
Different valuations of labour, efficiency and knowledges do not only re_create societal inequalities, but also legitimate a division of labour based on heteronormative binary gender norms. It is important to us that not only wage labour is addressed but also care work, subsistence labour, internships, and volunteer work, as well as other kinds of labour.

[:Movement*s] in their*her*history
[:Movement*s:] in their_her_history and their_her_hi*stories in [:movement:] should become visible. Therefore, we want to adress stories about (queer_)feminist activism and (queer_)feminist movements – not only, but also of People of Colour, Black activists, of people who experience dis__abilities, of workers and people who experience unemployment.

The FFU’16 itself wants to broaden minds in all directions – up and down, sideways and back and forth – as well as give non-participants the possibility to do so. We want to enable these perspectives and facilitate possibilities to document the FFU, so that knowledges can be spread not only during, but also after the FFU’16. We are planning to submit documentation to feminist archives. However, the documentation depends on the voluntary contribution of all participants. A possible publication about the FFU’16 is on the table.

The FFU’16 has the goal to facilitate taking up space and re_creating networks – networks between various (queer_) feminist activists. A lot of space is taken by discriminative structures of societies and the FFU’16 aims to fight these structures, take space and make noise.